The Proton Improvement Plan-II, or PIP-II, a flagship project at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, was recognized at the inaugural UK-US Global Research and Innovation Impact Showcase, held March 2–5 at the British Embassy in Washington, D.C.
The showcase was organized by the United Kingdom’s funding agency, UK Research and Innovation, or UKRI, to highlight the strength and outcomes of scientific partnerships between the U.K. and the United States. The event also provided opportunities for participants to engage with key stakeholders involved in research and innovation.
UKRI solicited success stories from its portfolio of funded projects, ultimately selecting seven research teams to honor with the Pioneering UK-US Breakthroughs Award. Peter McIntosh and Ed Cavanagh, leaders of the PIP-II team from UKRI’s Science and Technology Facilities Council, or STFC, received the award for their work on PIP-II cryomodules and superconducting radio-frequency technology.
PIP-II is the first particle accelerator built in the U.S. with significant contributions from international partners. In addition to the U.K. and U.S., institutions in France, India, Italy and Poland are delivering components and contributing their expertise and capabilities in superconducting radio-frequency and associated technologies to construct this beyond-state-of-the-art accelerator.
By accelerating protons at up to 800 million electronvolts, PIP-II will power Fermilab’s Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment, a massive new neutrino experiment being built at the Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility in South Dakota.
The PIP-II linac will comprise five different types of superconducting radio-frequency cryomodules — with 23 cryomodules in total — over its 215-meter length. The U.K. team is contributing three complete high-beta 650-megahertz cryomodules, which will be the last stage of the linear accelerator. Designed by Fermilab, these cryomodules are 10 meters long and contain six niobium cavities and intricate supporting systems.
UKRI’s involvement in PIP-II was borne out of the U.K. government’s investment of £79 million in LBNF/DUNE. As well as supporting the project, building the superconducting radio-frequency cryomodules needed for PIP-II allowed them to develop their own infrastructure and workforce.
“For the past 15 years, this has been a goal we’ve steadily worked toward,” said McIntosh, director of the STFC Accelerator Science and Technology Centre. “Through gradual growth and development, we’ve strengthened our capabilities and the PIP‑II project is now enabling us to move much closer to delivering complete, large‑scale, fully integrated SRF systems for the first time. It positions us extremely well to meet the UK’s future needs and firmly establishes ASTeC as a national Centre of Excellence in SRF.”
The opportunity to build and test components for PIP-II has multiplier effects for international collaborators, who gain expertise in accelerator technology that can be applied in their home countries, including the U.K.
For example, to support PIP-II, STFC’s Daresbury Laboratory was upgraded with specialized facilities, including a cavity test bunker, high-pressure rinse and clean rooms. They have established new specifications and procedures to ensure full compliance in preparing and assembling all PIP-II cryomodule sub-systems. These investments now enable teams at Daresbury to conduct SRF cavity and cryomodule preparation and qualification processes not previously possible in the U.K. — and now position the country as a serious contributor to the global particle accelerator complex.
“Neither country could have delivered these outcomes alone,” said Fermilab director Norbert Holtkamp. “Combining America’s scientific experience with the U.K.’s engineering agility is accelerating capability development and sharpening our collective technological leadership.”
In addition, partnerships with industry enabled the U.K.’s first domestically manufactured superconducting accelerating structures. This translates directly to future opportunities across medical imaging, radioisotope production security, quantum computing and future accelerator programs.
Furthermore, more than 40 apprentices and five graduates have been trained on PIP-II technology at Daresbury, strengthening the U.K. advanced-engineering talent pipeline.
“We deeply value international collaboration, and the work of our partners around the globe is a key to advancing our science here in America,” said Regina Rameika, associate director for the Office of High Energy Physics at the DOE Office of Science. “The contributions from the U.K. team are powering the future of neutrino science.”
Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory is America’s premier national laboratory for particle physics and accelerator research. Fermi Forward Discovery Group manages Fermilab for the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science. Visit Fermilab’s website at www.fnal.gov and follow us on social media.
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